Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Social Services Trust Funds topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Trustees propose three-person committee, caps for Lucy Carpenter assistance
Summary
Trustees proposed a three-person committee and an initial award framework for distributions from the Lucy Carpenter Trust, recommending a cautious pilot approach rather than a broad, immediate rollout.
Trustees of the town's Carpenter funds presented a draft proposal to the Board of Selectmen recommending the creation of a dedicated committee to manage distribution of Lucy Carpenter Trust funds and proposing initial guidance on eligibility and award sizes.
The trustees recommended a three-person committee comprising one selectman or designee, one trustee of the trust funds or designee, and the town's human services coordinator (or successor) to "oversee the distribution of Carpenter funds to whom, how, how often, how long, how big, etcetera," the trustees said. The trustees emphasized that their role is custodial (managing the funds) and that the administration of assistance should be performed by the dedicated committee.
Trustees suggested an initial spending framework as a test-year approach: up to $10,000 per individual in the first year, followed by $5,000 in each of two successive years (a three-year assistance cap). They recommended not broadly publicizing the program during the first year, instead using referrals to the human services coordinator's existing caseload to identify candidates.
The trustees discussed eligibility criteria the committee should use, including measures of incapacity consistent with admission criteria used by assisted-living and nursing homes and existing poverty thresholds; trustees cited a per-person poverty threshold of about $15,006.50 per annum referenced in their materials. The trustees urged legal review of residency rules and pointed to Cordell Johnson's guidance and RSA-based benchmarks as sources for criteria.
The trustees reported the Carpenter fund balance at between $70,000 and $85,000 and recommended limiting first-year distributions to preserve capital while testing the program. The board agreed to have staff and trustees return with formal wording and to consider naming a selectman to the committee at a subsequent meeting; the trustees said they would supply a draft and that the trustees would appoint their representative to the committee.
No binding distributions were made at the meeting; trustees asked the board to establish the committee and directed staff to work with counsel on eligibility forms and procedures.
